This invention relates generally to refrigerators, and more specifically, to an apparatus for reducing temperature gradients in refrigerator fresh food compartments.
Known refrigerators typically regulate a temperature of a fresh food compartment by opening and closing a damper established in flow communication with a freezer compartment, and by operating a fan to draw cold freezer compartment air into the fresh food compartment as needed to maintain a desired temperature in the fresh food compartment.
In known refrigerators, however, achieving uniform temperatures in the fresh food compartment is challenging. For a variety of reasons, items placed in upper regions of the fresh food compartment tend to be undercooled, and items placed in lower regions of the fresh food compartment tend to be overcooled. In addition, items placed nearer to a back wall of the fresh food compartment may be chilled more than items placed farther away from the back wall. These vertical and horizontal temperature gradients in fresh food compartments are undesirable. While efforts have been made to control and improve airflow distribution in refrigerator fresh food compartments, see, for example U.S. Pat. No. 6,055,820, lower cost and simpler airflow distribution systems are desired.
In addition, known refrigerators typically include lamps to illuminate refrigeration compartments. Typically, the lamps are illuminated in response to switches or sensors that energize the lamp when the respective refrigerator door is opened. When the door is open for an extended period of time, however, heat generated in the lamp can rise to levels that may damage the refrigeration compartment liner. If the liner is damaged, refrigerator performance and reliability is compromised.
In an exemplary embodiment, a refrigerator includes a freezer compartment and a fresh food compartment including a first side and a second side opposite the first side. An airflow distribution assembly is located in the fresh food compartment in flow communication with the freezer compartment, and extends vertically along the first side of the fresh food compartment for distributing freezer compartment air into the fresh food compartment. Lateral air passages also extend from the first side of the fresh food compartment to the second side of the fresh food compartment and are in flow communication with the air distribution assembly. The air distribution assembly reduces vertical temperature gradients by regulating airflow into the first side of the fresh food compartment, such as the back wall of the compartment, and the lateral air passages introduce freezer compartment air into the opposite side of the fresh food compartment, such as the front side, and therefore reduce horizontal temperature gradients in the fresh food compartment.
The air distribution assembly and the laterally extending passages are in flow communication with a single fan that simultaneously directs freezer compartment air into the air distribution assembly and also into the laterally extending passages. Still further, air is delivered from the air distribution assembly to a storage drawer for temperature regulation therein. Thus, freezer compartment air is distributed to front and rear sides of the fresh food compartment, as well as to a storage drawer, with a single fan.
A damper is located in flow communication with a light assembly in the fresh food compartment. The damper is selectively positionable between a closed position allowing the fan to cool the fresh food compartment, and an open position that creates a pressure drop in the light assembly and causes air to flow through the light assembly and remove heat that may damage a refrigeration compartment liner when the light assembly is energized for an extended time.
A single damper and a single fan are therefore employed to regulate temperature in a refrigerator fresh food compartment, reduce temperature gradients in the compartment, supply freezer compartment air to a storage drawer, and remove heat generated in a light assembly that could damage the refrigerator liner.